Which to use
“taut” is a verb and “true” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,293
- “taut” frequency rank
- #9,645
- “true” frequency rank
- 58938
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | taut | true |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tauen | wahr, richtig |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set taut and true apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: taut is [taʊ̯t] while true is [tɹuː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58938, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
taut is recorded at frequency rank #49,293, classified as averb, pronounced [taʊ̯t]. true is at rank #9,645, tagged as anadj, pronounced [tɹuː].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 58938, this pair ranks #843,530 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of taut vs true
Shared letters: tu. Private to "taut": a. Private to "true": er.
"taut" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "true" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "taut" and "true" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "taut" or "true"?
Remembering taut vs true
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “taut”; for an adjective, it's “true”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “taut” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable